Research Article ISSN 2336-9744 (online) | ISSN 2337-0173 (print) The journal is available on line at www.biotaxa.org/em https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:96D3A9DD-41F8-49A7-87F1-AC4C8939C8D7 Redescription of Euscorpius tauricus (C.L. Koch, 1837), with the description of two new related species from Greece (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) GIOELE TROPEA1, VICTOR FET2, ARISTEIDIS PARMAKELIS3, PANAYIOTA KOTSAKIOZI4 & IASMI STATHI5 1 Via Gavinana 2, 00192 Rome, Italy: email: [email protected] 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia 25755-2510, USA; email: [email protected] 3 Department of Ecology and Taxonomy, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Panepistimioupoli Zografou, GR-15784 Athens, Greece; email: [email protected] 4 Department of Human and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Panepistimioupoli Zografou, GR-15784 Athens, Greece; email: [email protected] 5 Natural History Museum of Crete, University of Crete, GR-71409 Heraklion, Crete, Greece; email: [email protected] Received 19 November 2016 │ Accepted 6 January 2017 │ Published online 10 January 2017. Abstract Euscorpius tauricus (C. L. Koch, 1837) was previously known only from the Crimea Peninsula, Ukraine. We report an unexpected presence of this species in the Cyclades Islands (Greece) and northwestern Anatolia (Turkey). In addition we designate a neotype for this species. We synonymize Euscorpius carpathicus aegaeus Di Caporiacco, 1950 syn. n., from Antiparos Island and Euscorpius rahsenae Yağmur et Tropea, 2013 syn. n., from Anatolia, with E. tauricus. In addition, we describe two new species related to E. tauricus, from the Cyclades Islands: E. curcici sp. n., from Ios and Sikinos Islands, and E. amorgensis sp. n., from Amorgos Island. Identity and level of divergence of these taxa is confirmed by multiple DNA markers. Key words: scorpions, systematics, phylogeny, Aegean, Mediterranean. Introduction The genus Euscorpius Thorell, 1876, widespread especially in southern Europe and Anatolia, is one of the most studied scorpion taxa. Despite this, the taxonomy of this genus is very complicated and still far from being resolved. This is also true for the Euscorpius of Greece, where, especially due to the unavailability of lack of specimens from many areas, this genus has been insufficiently studied. In addition, the taxonomic studies of Euscorpius are hindered by existence of cryptic species complexes, which are difficult to resolve even with phylogenetic analysis using multiple DNA markers. However, recently several studies delineated and described various new and old forms of this genus resulting in a significant increase of the number of species in Greece (Fet et al., 2013a, 2013b, 2014; Parmakelis et al., 2013; Tropea & Rossi, 2012; Tropea & Fet, 2015; Tropea et al., 2013, 2014a, 2015). In this study, with the use of multiple DNA markers, as a part of an ongoing revisionary study of scorpions of Greece and adjacent areas, we confirm the unexpected Ecol. Mont., 7, 2017, 614-638 TROPEA ET AL. presence of Euscorpius tauricus on the Cyclades Islands of Antiparos, Paros, Sifnos, and Naxos, as well as in northwestern Turkey. In addition, two new species from the Cyclades Islands are described herein, E. curcici sp. n., from Ios and Sikinos Islands, and E. amorgensis sp. n., from Amorgos Island, increasing the number of valid species of the genus Euscorpius in Greece to 22. Our data indicate the existence of more undescribed species of Euscorpius in Greece (Tropea et al., in press). Material and Methods The trichobothrial notation follows Vachon (1974). Morphological measurements are given in millimetres (mm) following Tropea et al. (2014b) but we use Wchel = Wchel-A. Morphological nomenclature follows Stahnke (1971), Hjelle (1990), and Sissom (1990); the chela carinae and denticle configuration follows Soleglad & Sissom (2001) but we united ID+IAD; and sternum terminology follows Soleglad & Fet (2003). The map was generated using Earth Explorer 6.1. Abbreviations Dp: pectinal teeth number; Wchel: chela width (=Wchel-A of Tropea et al., 2014b); CarA/CarP %: average ratio of distances from centre of median eyes to anterior and posterior margins of the carapace; DPS: dorsal patellar spur; imm.: immature specimen (in any stage of development). Depositories: AZMM, Alaşehir Zoological Museum, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey; GTC, private collection of Gioele Tropea, Rome, Italy; MCSNG, Museo Civico di Storia naturale di Genova, Genoa, Italy; MNHNP, Muséum National d‟Histoire naturelle, Paris, France; MSNB, Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "E. Caffi", Bergamo, Italy; MZUF, Museo di Storia naturale dell‟Università di Firenze, Sezione di Zoologia “La Specola”, Florence, Italy; NHMC, Natural History Museum of Crete, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece; NHMW, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna, Austria. Material Studied A detailed list of material with label data is given under each species. DNA Analysis and Species Validation Validity of the herein treated species was supported by our molecular phylogenetic study of Euscorpius populations across Greece (Parmakelis et al., 2013). All DNA work was performed in the University of Athens by P.K. and A.P. For details on molecular and phylogenetic analysis, see Parmakelis et al. (2013). Several methods of species delimitation and a species validation method were employed in Parmakelis et al. (2013) based on the phylogeny inferred using sequence data from one nuclear and three mtDNA loci. In the molecular phylogeny study, for E. tauricus, we analyzed specimens from Crimea as well as Naxos, Paros, and Sifnos islands, and northwestern Turkey. Two populations from neighbouring islands related to E. tauricus were also analyzed and are described here as two new species. Genetic distances are expressed as the number of base substitutions per site. Standard error estimates are shown above the diagonal and were obtained by a bootstrap procedure (1000 replicates). Analyses were conducted using the Kimura 2-parameter model (Kimura, 1980). All ambiguous positions were removed for each sequence pair. In the present study, only 16S rRNA and COI sequence data were used in the phylogenetic analysis. There were 437 positions in total in the final dataset for 16S rRNA and 595 for COI. Evolutionary analyses were conducted in MEGA5 (Tamura et al., 2011). History of Euscorpius tauricus species Euscorpius tauricus (C. L. Koch, 1837) was described from the southern coast of the Crimea Peninsula (then in the Russian Empire, now in Ukraine). It was first moved into E. carpathicus by Kraepelin (1894: 159). However, the Crimean form was usually treated as an endemic species, especially by the Russian zoologists. Already Birula (1900: 250–251) compared E. tauricus with E. carpathicus from Banat (Romania), noting Ecol. Mont., 7, 2017, 614-638 615 TWO NEW EUSCORPIUS SPECIES FROM GREECE especially very long metasomal segment V (L/H 3.1 in females, 3.7 in males of E. tauricus), versus 2.7 and 2.8 in E. carpathicus; he also noted obsolete granulation on metasomal segment V. E. tauricus was redescribed and discussed in a great detail by Birula (1917). Origins and relationships of this isolated form have been unclear. Fet (1989a, 1989b) reviewed all the Crimean specimens available in the main Russian museums. Fet (2003) first compared a DNA marker (16S rRNA) from Crimea to several Euscorpius species, and argued that DNA data supported species status for E. tauricus as an endemic, strongly isolated taxon. Distribution and ecology of E. tauricus in Crimea has been recently studied in detail by Kukushkin (2013). Brewer et al. (2005), based on a DNA marker sequence (16S rRNA), first reported that the specimens from Paros Island (Cyclades, Greece) showed affinity with those from Crimea. Several years later, Parmakelis et al. (2013) addressed the Paros population, and some populations of other Cycladic Islands, as E. tauricus complex. Specimens of Euscorpius from the Western Cyclades are very rare in zoological museums. Pavesi (1878: 339) studied five juvenile specimens collected “near the entrance of a cave” on Antiparos Island during the Mediterranean travel of the cutter Violante in July–October 1876. This naturalistic expedition was led by the Marquis Giacomo Doria (1840–1913), an Italian naturalist and the founder of Museo Civico di Storia naturale di Genova (MCSNG), and Captain Enrico D‟Albertis (1846–1832) of Genoa, Italy. The Antiparos specimens were identified by Pavesi as Euscorpius carpathicus. Pavesi (1878) reported number of Dp = 8 (2), 9 (2), 10 (1), and Pv = 8 (4) and 7 (1). Pavesi‟s five specimens from MCSNG (3♂, 2♀) were studied by Di Caporiacco (1950: 187–188) and described as a new subspecies, Euscorpius carpathicus aegaeus. Di Caporiacco (1950) noted they all were uniform light yellow, and had the following variation: Dp in males, 9/9 (2), 9/10 (1), Dp in females, 8/8 (2); Pv= 8/8 (4), 8/7 (1). Number of external patellar trichobothria was 24/24 (3), 23/24 (1), and 24/23 (1). Di Caporiacco wrote in his original description: „Dorsal metasomal carinae very weakly granulated, with very small, sparse granules; granules hardly visible in ventral carinae of metasoma V. No dorsolateral carinae on the first metasomal segments; no ventromedian carina on metasoma V....These values fit in the form of Antiparos, to which I give the name of E. carpathicus aegaeus, in the oligotrichous group of Hadži.” He further compared this new form to other “oligotrichous”